Chapter 86 – Ayaka’S Mom’S Secret (2)
There are times in life when it’s just impossible to keep a straight face.
“Aah~♥”
“Ah, aah.”
And that time is now for me.
I couldn’t maintain my poker face as I watched Ayaka’s mom, who was right next to me, putting food into my mouth.
No. The only person who could keep a poker face in this situation would be a con artist smiling calmly at a 10 billion won gambling table.
In other words, no one could do it.
Anyway, I was half-dazed as I accepted the food from Ayaka’s mom.
Honestly, the food was delicious.
It was hard for it not to be delicious, with my favorite karaage, along with samgyeopsal (I don’t know how she knew I liked that), salad, and rice.
The problem was that I was so out of it that I didn’t even know if the food was going into my nose or my mouth.
“Here, another aah~♥”
“Aah…”
Anyway, as I diligently consumed the food (the food that Ayaka’s mom was feeding me), I also observed Ayaka’s mom’s reaction.
‘She just seems to be enjoying this…’
Ayaka’s mom’s reaction was purely that of someone who was enjoying feeding me, with a bright smile on her face.
No. Honestly, it just seemed like she was genuinely enjoying this moment.
Thanks to that, I seriously wondered if I should just enjoy it too.
How long had it been since I started eating Ayaka’s mom’s food and sorting out my complicated thoughts?
“Um, Mom… I’m stuffed.”
I had crammed food into my stomach until I was about to burst.
Ayaka’s mom had piled up the food like a four-story pagoda.
I couldn’t ignore the effort she put into preparing the food, and I forced the amount that was hard for my small body to eat into my stomach.
After finishing all the food.
Ayaka’s mom looked at me, who was now stuffed, and asked with a smile that hadn’t changed from the beginning.
“Hehe, Takuya. Did you enjoy the meal?”
“Yes. It was delicious.”
I nodded and replied because it really was delicious.
Ayaka’s mom smiled happily at my answer, and I asked her.
“Ayaka’s mom.”
“Yes, what is it~?”
“Isn’t it about time you told me how you found out I use hypnosis?”
Ayaka’s mom understood my serious expression and smiled as she replied.
But strangely, there was an unknown longing in Ayaka’s mom’s smile.
“Of course.”
——–
We moved to a place with a good view of the city, a hill-like area with a great panorama.
Actually, it was more of a steep slope, and it took several tens of minutes by car to get there.
Anyway, Ayaka’s mom, leaning against an old wooden fence in that scenic spot, spoke with a troubled expression.
“So~ where should I start the story?”
“From the beginning, if possible.”
I wouldn’t be able to understand if it was from the middle.
Ayaka’s mom nodded at my answer and began to tell her past, specifically the story of when Takuya was born.
***
Mori Ayaka was a scion of a very high-class family.
Her mother was from a prestigious family that had been renowned since before Japan was called an empire, and her father was a high-ranking government official.
Under such parents, Ayaka grew up receiving very strict education.
Fortunately or unfortunately, it was not Ayaka who was to enhance the family’s honor, but her older brothers and sisters.
Thanks to that, Ayaka received strict education, but she was not really given any difficult tasks or expected much.
Ayaka’s parents knew very well that not all children could be outstanding.
Since they didn’t expect much, there was no great disappointment either.
No. In the first place, Ayaka was just like a gift to be married off to a capable man.
It was a gift in the sense that, “We’ll give you this gift, so let’s be related by blood.”
Ayaka didn’t really object to her fate.
She knew that the reason she was raised like this was for this very purpose.
She just had one small wish that she never told anyone.
Ayaka lived peacefully, but change came to her as well.
The trigger was simple.
Since she had become an adult, it was time to get her married off, so she was sent to the hospital for a check-up to see if there were any problems with her body.
“Go to the hospitals I’ve told you about and get a check-up.”
“Understood.”
But this didn’t end with a simple hospital check-up.
What was supposed to be just a normal hospital check-up turned into a major event that became a turning point in Ayaka’s life.
It was natural. That’s because Ayaka was…
“W-what? I’m infertile?!”
“Yes, according to the test results. It’s quite serious…”
Infertile, meaning she had a body that made it difficult to get pregnant.
No. It wasn’t just that it was difficult to get pregnant, but that she might not be able to get pregnant at all.
This news naturally turned Ayaka’s family upside down.
It was natural that there would be an uproar, as the gift that was supposed to be carefully packaged and delivered was revealed to be defective.
No, beyond the uproar.
“It’s all because the parents raised her wrong.”
“Infertility in this day and age…”
“This means we have to introduce her to someone else, damn it.”
They said that she had to take responsibility for causing a setback in the family’s affairs.
And, funnily enough.
“What on earth did you do to make your body like this!”
“Did you go meet a man somewhere like your sister?!”
This responsibility was also passed on to Ayaka, who was suffering the most.
The doctor said that it was just something she was born with and that it could be improved slowly, but Ayaka’s parents instead pushed her.
It was natural. They were going to sell her at the most expensive time, but now they couldn’t, so Ayaka’s parents were bound to be annoyed.
But it was Ayaka herself who was most hurt.
‘I can’t have children?’
Ayaka had always been obedient to her parents, but if there was one wish of her own, it was to have her own child.
To see a baby sleeping peacefully in her arms. That was Ayaka’s long-held dream.
That’s why, when her cousin who had a baby came, Ayaka was particularly good at playing with the children.
Having her own precious child was like her only wish.
And that was shattered.
Perhaps Ayaka was more distressed than anyone else in the family.
Of course, no one understood Ayaka’s feelings.
And so, time passed.
Ayaka was half-abandoned by her family.
Of course, she wasn’t completely abandoned.
In the first place, her parents didn’t expect much from Ayaka herself, and since it was possible to get pregnant through rehabilitation, she was attending university to build up her resume during that time.
Of course, even this time was painful for Ayaka.
‘Can I really have a child?’
Ayaka rubbed her belly as she waited for the train to go to school, thinking the same thoughts she had dozens of times before.
It was a normal belly, but thinking about this belly, or rather, her uterus, made her feel more and more anxious.
That she couldn’t have the child she wanted so much.
‘I don’t know…’
That anxiety.
Thanks to that, she just sighed deeply and waited for the train.
It would have been nice if she had just spent the day like that, but today was not a lucky day.
“Pretty lady, wanna hang out with us?”
“I’m busy.”
“Then at least give us your number.”
A group of thugs who were out hunting from the middle of the day had latched onto her.
They were very persistent, which made her annoyed.
So she was about to shout and call for the station attendant, but…
-Swish.
Suddenly, a girl with black eyes and hair, wearing a pure white dress and hat, grabbed her hand.
And…
“Mom. Let’s go quickly.”
Calling her mom.
“Ah, uh-huh. Let’s go quickly?”
It was too sudden, but Ayaka wasn’t stupid enough to miss the opportunity, so she immediately grabbed the child’s hand and escaped.
After escaping safely, Ayaka thanked the little girl who had saved her.
“Little miss. Thank you.”
And to this thank you, the little girl said.
“Are you really thankful?”
“Uh, of course?”
“Then.”
Very boldly, as if it was a must.
“Please raise me.”
She asked her to raise her.
At that moment, Ayaka felt an unknown destiny.
***
I was a little dumbfounded after listening to Ayaka’s mom’s story for a while.
Why feel destiny there? That was the feeling I had.
No. Honestly, isn’t that right?
It wasn’t anything else, but just being saved, and she felt destiny.
Honestly, it seemed a bit strange, but well, that’s what she said.
I was about to focus on the sound to hear Ayaka’s mom’s story that followed.
-Crack.
Suddenly, I heard a cracking sound from the fence that Ayaka’s mom was leaning on.
“Mom! Get away quickly!”
I was flustered by the sound and told Ayaka’s mom to get away from the fence, but it was already too late.
-Clang!
“Huh?”
Ayaka’s mom was falling down with the fence. Seeing that, I rushed towards Ayaka’s mom without any hesitation.
-Thud!
With a loud noise, only a quiet silence lingered on the hill where Ayaka and Takuya were a moment later.
